


📻 Hanamaki Sumire's Radio Show 🎙️!

by takoyaki (tamagoyaki)



Series: I7 AU Collection [2]
Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Trigger and Re:Vale remain as groups though, radio show, there is no idolish7 here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-04 01:54:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17295470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tamagoyaki/pseuds/takoyaki
Summary: In which two college students take over the town's most popular radio show, random idols call in to play ding dong ditch, and Iori's favorite caller just so happens to be that cute barista down at that cafe across the street.Apparently, there's no such thing as privacy in the quest for love.





	📻 Hanamaki Sumire's Radio Show 🎙️!

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [You're live on Monomi radio!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1085653) by [xShieru](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xShieru/pseuds/xShieru). 



Izumi Iori loves Izumi Mitsuki.

Don’t get him wrong. Iori undeniably loves his older brother to the extent where he might give up his firstborn child for Mitsuki, but… There are limits to what sacrifices one is willing to make.

With that said, somehow, here he is, seated in a cushioned seat with his brother across him. Here he is in the recording studio with headphones pulled over his ears, legs shaking with irrepressible tension at the knowledge of what _absurdity_ they are going to do. And Takanashi Tsumugi – world-famous producer – is standing outside the recording room, watching with lifted fingers counting down to the live event. And Mitsuki cracks a smile up at him that’s all cheer and sun _even though their lives are going to be threatened starting in approximately twenty-eight seconds._

“Nii-san.” Iori calls out despondently. “It’s not too late to turn back at this point.”

Mitsuki throws his head back with a hearty laugh.

“What are you saying at this point?” Iori laments the fact that he’d allowed himself to be talked into this. “If we’re not here, who else will be here to run Hanamaki-chan’s radio show?”

Nobody, Iori’s mind supplies him gravely, as if to shut down his last escape route. No one would be willing to take over Japan’s most popular idol’s radio show this last minute without fearing the repercussions. No one would be willing to take the heat save for two university students who happened to be the friends of Hanamaki Sumire.

Iori hates each and every event leading up to this moment here.

Why was he so foolish as to owe Hanamaki a debt because of _coffee_? Why did he allow his brother to talk him into this?

Outside the studio, Tsumugi murmurs something unheard to all of them. Her fingers count down to three.

_“You’re live in three… two… one!”_

“Hello there, Hanamaki-chan’s fans across the nation! Welcome to Hanamaki Sumire-chan’s ‘I’ll HanaSu with You _tee-hee_ ♡!’” Iori allows himself the momentary delusion that he’s a million miles away from this recording studio, watching his older brother giggle like a high school girl. “—Radio show! I’m Izumi Mitsuki! And with me, I have my younger brother,”

“Izumi Iori is my name.” Iori speaks up tersely. He very barely manages to not gasp into his mic at the feet which nudges his own. Mitsuki winks at him.

‘Relax, Relax~’ He mouths, before leaping right back to his mic.

“We’re your hosts for today! And we’ll be running the show for the next few months whilst Hanamaki-chan is taking a break—”

“Nii-san.” Iori sighs into his mic, as is appropriate. He eyes the other with badly hidden exasperation. “You haven’t yet explained the circumstances to the audience yet. I’m sure everyone on the ground must be very confused because of that.”

“Ahaha! That’s right!” Mitsuki laughs and scratches the back of his head sheepishly, as if that wasn’t an intentional move to make Iori speak. “Erm. Due to series of events, everyone’s beloved Hanamaki-chan is now happily and heavily pregnant! Congratulations, Hanamaki-chan!”

Mitsuki claps clamorously beside the mic. This, Iori thinks gravely, must be what the screams of all Hanamaki fans over the country must sound like. And it must echo the stampede rapidly approaching them, signalling their impending death.

“Do update us when the baby’s born so we know when to attend your baby shower, alright?”

“Now then! While I know not many might want to listen to two uncouth boys talk about themselves, you guys must be interested as to why some ordinary people like us are chosen to fill in Hanamaki-chan’s absence, aren’t you?” Mitsuki hums as if agreeing with the masses. “I mean, sure we are all men filled with overflowing charm and charisma right here, but—”

“It lacks the ability to convince when you’re the one saying it, Nii-san.” Iori deadpans.

“—Shut up! I just wanted to say that about myself, okay?!” Mitsuki inserts.

Iori sighs, shaking his head. If they’re about to go out like this, they might as well do it showily.

“Three weeks ago, a close friend of ours from college contacted us about a part-time job she’s got for us. Hanamaki Sumire-san, I quote, told Nii-san that it’d be a ‘high-paying, quick, and easy job’. We would definitely be suitable for it, she said.” Iori’s voice goes flat with obvious sarcasm. “…It’s hard to take it as a compliment in retrospect. I stand my case that I was tricked into it.”

“Now, now, Iori! How can you say that about the nation’s favourite female pop star?” Mitsuki scolds. “Hanamaki-chan is the nicest girl I’ve ever seen! She’s got the looks, the beauty, the height! Moreover, she’s unfailingly nice with all the co-guests on the other shows.” His older brother lists out enthusiastically. He nods to himself. “Mh! Definitely the best female idol I’ve ever known! Granted, I only know one idol, but… Who cares!” Mitsuki beams.

“You’re forgetting the punchline, Nii-san.” Iori points out quietly.

“Eh? What’s that?” Mitsuki looks intrigued.

“The fact that she’s got a heart darker than black.” Iori gives it to them.

“…You. Seriously, don’t come to me when you get trampled over by Hanamaki-chan’s fans later on. Nii-chan can’t do anything to help you out of the grave you’ve just dug for yourself.” Mitsuki deadpans at him.

“I’m honestly quite bitter. After all, Hanamaki-san bribed me into this with a coffee blacker than black.” Iori saves himself with a cleverly thought pun.

“That said, Iori can be mighty sweet though,” Mitsuki turns to eye him with a mischievous look in his eyes that Iori’s increasingly wary of. “Especially whenever you’re looking at some of your favourite – mmmhpfhphf!” A muscular arm pats him roughly, attempting to shake him off.

“W-With that, shall we move on to the first topic of the night?” Iori hurriedly reads from the script. “‘What is Hanamaki-san like in school?’ We’re here to provide you with the inside details, as strictly platonic friends of hers from college—ah.”

Mitsuki flops lifelessly onto his couch. Iori pats him lightly on the cheek, the sound reverberating against the mic.

“Nii-san? …Nii-san, you’re not dead, are you? Nii-san?!”

-

“Welcome back to Hanamaki Sumire-chan’s ‘I’ll HanaMaki with You _Chu_ ~♡!’” Iori feels a faint shudder go down his back at the kiss his older brother just blew him.

“This is Izumi Iori and Izumi Mitsuki here! In case you didn’t get the news last night, we’re the temporary substitutes for Hanamaki-chan till she returns!” Mitsuki bounces cheerfully as he settles back in his seat. “Tune in to the website for yesterday’s recorded live if you want to hear more on Hanamaki-chan’s glorious days as a lady boss of the biker gang!”

“Nii-san…” Iori begins.

“Hm? What is it? You’re looking rather pale, Iori.” Mitsuki hums without concern.

“Never do that again. Please.” Iori murmurs faintly.

“Hey! It’s not my fault Hanamaki-chan always changes her show’s name every weekend!” Mitsuki frowns.

“That’s not what I was talking about.” Iori waits for him to catch the hint. When Mitsuki blinks obliviously up at him, the younger Izumi heaves a sigh and drops his head into his hand. “Next time, please let me run through your brainstorming book of names before the broadcasting live.” He quietly mutters into the mic, shielding it from his older brother. “Let’s avoid all variations of kisses from now on. That’s the better way to preserve Nii-san’s dignity before me.”

“Iori, what are you whispering about to the audience over there? Are you finally entering your post-puberty rebellious stage?” Mitsuki smirks.

“T-That’s not it at all!” Iori stammers. “More importantly, what is today’s topic?”

Mitsuki gives him a suspicious look but lets him go. Iori heaves a quiet sigh of relief.

“Today’s topic is… this! Ta-dah! ‘On the topic of idols and the entertainers you respect!’ Whenever you’ve got something to add, feel free to ring us up at XXXX-XXXX! Otherwise, we’ll just free talk about whatever!” Mitsuki beams and nods to Iori, informatively tapping the call machine between them with three lines that shows how many calls they receive.

“Hm… Idols…huh…” Iori hums pensively into a hand.

“Idols…yup.”

They lurch into a thoughtful silence.

“I don’t particularly have any opinions on them.” Iori concludes.

“Come on now! That’s definitely a lie in your case, Iori!” Mitsuki bursts out in pearls of laughter. “Open your heart to the audience! Tell them about the types of idols you like! We both know you want to!”

“That may be so in your case, but I don’t particularly want to?” Iori folds his arms, averting his gaze.

“Iori likes the cute and fluffy ones—” Mitsuki whispers into his mic. He yelps when a kick knocks against his leg.

“Nii-san!” Iori lunges forward. “Are you okay?!”

Contrary to his concerned voice, Iori places a finger over his lips in the first sign for ‘hush’. Mitsuki glares back with watery eyes that makes some part of Iori’s devoid heart shrink in guilt. ‘D-Damn you.’ He mouths. ‘I’ll get you back for this.’ Iori looks forward to what cute plans his older brother has for him to foil this time.

“A-ha. I-It’s nothing! I just knocked my leg into the table!” Mitsuki laughs but glares at Iori with his eyes.

“Sheesh…how careless of you!” Iori rolls his eyes in mock exasperation.

One line on the call machine lights up green.

“Ah, we haven’t even started talking, but we’ve already got our first call here!” Mitsuki smiles as he reaches to picks it up. “Hello there~?”

_“Hello. Is this Izumi Mitsuki and Izumi Iori? This is the member of Trigger, Kujo Tenn.”_

“Yes, I’m speaking… EH?!” Mitsuki jumps.

The other two lines light up green at once.

“Kujo Tenn…?! You’re _that_ Kujo Tenn?!” Iori jumps in surprise.

 _“Yes. This is me speaking.”_ The image of the pink-themed idol smiling angelically makes both hosts shrink back in their seats. _“I’ll be frank with you here, since I don’t want to take up too much time on your show, okay?”_

His voice does a total hundred-eighty.

_“Don’t fight on the job.”_

_Ka-cha!_

The phone hangs up on the other end with a resounding click. An awkward silence loomed over them, both hosts paler than ghosts as they stare at each other, dumbfounded.

“Is it just me… or was there just a light feeling of horror just now over the phone?” Mitsuki questions faintly.

“…Kujou Tenn is formidable, indeed.” Iori voices both their sentiments quietly. “With this, we’ve encountered the second idol to ever cross our paths. That’s one new topic to talk about. And to think we’ve successfully managed to incur the wrath of an idol with a pacifistic nature likened to that of the Buddha… We’ve scored ourselves quite an achievement tonight, Nii-san.”

“Is that something I should really be happy about?” Mitsuki deadpans, sweat dropping at his way of putting it.

Well, considering that they’re already going to go by the hands of Hanamaki’s rabid fans once their school vacation is over, adding Kujou Tenn’s to the count really isn’t much. It’s just that in addition to having majority of the male population as their nemesis, they’ve now summoned most of the female population down on them too.

Great, Iori thinks, feeling quite faint-hearted. Just great.

“Oh! Since we’ve got three lines on the pending right now, let’s pick one of them up!” Mitsuki beams. “But before that… Let’s just put our hands together and apologize sincerely for fighting on live. Please don’t kill us! Kujou or Kujou’s fans! We’re truly repentant!” Mitsuki prays.

_Ka-cha._

_“Hello? This is Trigger’s Yaotome Gaku.”_ The voice comes over sultry.

“EH?!” The two hosts echo again.

“What’s up with today… Is this some kind of promotion event for Trigger…?!” Iori whispers without thinking.

“Hold your horses, Iori. It’s best not to go there.” Mitsuki warns with a dry smile. “Who knows? Maybe Yaotome Gaku-san just has an opinion of idols that he wants to share with us? Something to do with his status of being the most desirable man, for instance?!” He suggests light-heartedly with cackling laughs at the end. Honestly, Iori’s older brother is obviously just pulling stray ideas off his head, but—

 _“…!”_ A gasp, from the other end. Mitsuki’s laughter comes to a sound and abrupt end. _“You’re unexpectedly sharp, Izumi-Ani. Alright. I’ve decided. I quite like you and your show.”_

“What do you mean by ‘unexpected’?! Are you trying to make fun of me?!” Mitsuki snaps.

“Please don’t say things like you liking us, Yaotome-san! It honours us to have you feel that way, but we’ve already gained enough haters to last us a lifetime!” Iori pleads.

 _“Hah? Haters, you say? Whoever hates you because of simple things like Hanamaki’s pregnancy or Tenn’s words must be stupid, aren’t they? Yosh.”_ Gaku begins curtly. Iori gets the faintest inkling of how things are going to go south. He doesn’t have a good feeling in the slightest. _“To those people listening, this is a message for you: Instead of attacking these guys, you should come at me instead. I’ll take all of you on.”_

“H-How reckless…” Mitsuki stammers, eyes wide. “…So this is the might of an idol, huh.”

“Nii-san, I think I’m going to hurl. I can’t go on.” Yaotome Gaku’s fans and agency are going to join this war. They’ll be like pieces of meat being fought over by two sides.

 _“If you’re done being all dramatic, can I say my piece now?”_ Gaku questions.

“Please… go ahead…” Mitsuki gives the green light even though Iori has an even worse feeling materializing in the form of a migraine.

_“The truth is… Regarding my position as the most-desirable-man. I’ve been thinking about retiring from it for a while.”_

“Eh?! Is it even possible to retire from such a ranking? Isn’t it a good thing to be that wanted?” Mitsuki quips, startled.

 _“Well… Between one entertainer to another—”_ Iori’s eye twitches. Since when did they become entertainers? _“—the position is really tedious in how it repels all girls away from me. I’m already close to twenty-two after all, right?”_

“Right…” Mitsuki looks suspicious of where this is going. Iori meets his gaze worriedly.

_“It’s about time for men like me to be ma—”_

_Ka-cha._

“Eh? Y-Yaotome? You there?” Mitsuki pretends to be shocked, when Iori has only just pressed on the end call button. His acting would be horrendous in reality should the audience be there to see it, but thankfully, just his voice alone is enough to pass for the deceit.

“I wonder if Yaotome-san is having connection problems on his end?” Iori smoothly moves the conversation ahead. “It can’t be helped. Let’s move on to our next call, shall we, Nii-san?”

“That’s right!” Mitsuki chuckles in dry amusement. “Idols… They’re really such fickle creatures, aren’t they? Suddenly barging onto other’s radio’s shows and leaving just as abruptly. But that Yaotome just a second ago… He was really cool! Saying he’d protect us and all that!”

“To all the girls amongst our listeners, feel free to interpret that for yourself if you like. Yaotome-san _is_ quite cool.” Iori chimes in with a smile. Hopefully, this will up their survival chances in the future.

_Ka-cha._

_“Uh… Hello there! This is Trigger’s Tsunashi Ryuunosuke!”_

“………” A silence descends upon the radio station. A common sentiment is shared amongst two pairs of wary gazes: Is Hanamaki Sumire’s radio show cursed or something?

“A-ha. Ahahaha… Somehow, I’m not even surprised anymore at this stage.” Mitsuki sighs, exasperated.

“Good evening, Tsunashi-san.” Iori greets politely nonetheless.

_“Ah, good evening, Iori-kun. I just wanted to call to say thanks for taking care of Tenn and Gaku just now. And also! Hanamaki-san, I haven’t really been in contact with you lately, but I’m assuming you’re watching this show. Congratulations on your pregnancy! I’m sorry I can’t be there in person to wish you well, but I heard feet massages are good for pregnant women! Hopefully, your fiancée can accommodate you in that regard!”_

Iori blinks, surprised.

_“Ah. Sorry. Was that too long? I ended up using your radio live as a telephone call. I’m sorry, Mitsuki-kun, Iori-kun. I didn’t mean to take up so much time.”_

“…Not at all…” Iori answers, still stunned.

 _“I’ll leave you to your show then! Until next time!”_ Ryuu hangs up.

“Idols… can unexpectedly be quite polite too, couldn’t they?” Mitsuki comments in the aftermath of Trigger, exasperated but fond.

“They’re honestly such a mixed bag of individuals.” Iori sighs.

-

“Welcome back to Hanamaki Sumire’s—”

“Ah, I know about this part!” The guest jumps. “Hanamaki Sumire’s~~~” He leads, an encouraging smile bright under the warm lights of the recording studio. Mitsuki’s eyes crinkle in warm laughter as he follows suit with a teasing, toothy grin.

“Lovey-Dovey~~~”

“Lovey-Dovey~~~!”

“Great Radio Show!” They chime together, throwing their hands up. The guest winks at Iori and smacks his lips with a blown kiss. “ _Mu-awk~_ _♡_ _!_ ”

Iori shudders and curls in on himself.

“That’s a new thing to ban from the books.” He mutters solemnly to himself.

“Ah! How cruel! Even though many girls would die out of happiness from my kiss!” The guest pursues his lips, affronted. Iori knows better than to take it seriously though.

“Ahaha! As you guys might have noticed, today, we’ve got a guest with us!” Mirth sparks in warm ambers as Mitsuki leans in, brows knitting in anticipation for their audience’s live reaction. “He is – shockingly! – an idol that is of equal popularity as Hanamaki-chan and Trigger…!”

“An idol who is creating new trends that shake Japan with its waves…!” Iori adds, smiling kindly at their first guest.

“The member of Re:Vale…!” Mitsuki smirks.

“Momo-chan is here!” Sunohara Momose, or Momo for short, practically leaps out of his chair with how excitable he is. “Ya-Hoo~ Everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve been in a radio show, hasn’t it? Even though I’m feeling all _cold_ and _lonely_ without Yuki by my side,” The idol frowns, face creasing to match the English words he tossed in easily. He’s quick to brighten up. “I’ll still do my utmost _best_ today with Iori and Mitsuki here!”

“Ahahaha!” Mitsuki’s tinkling chimes comes sincere and hearty. “Please _do_ do your best, Momo-san! We’ll be troubled if you don’t!”

“Welcome to Hanamaki-san’s show! We’re pleased to have you here as our first guest!” Iori dips his head again in another polite nod.

“Aw! Come on! You’ve already done that just now, Iori! No need to be so reserved!” Momo exhales through his nose, looking pumped up. “You can throw me some of your most merciless tsukomi’s too today! Make it as harsh and Yuki-like as possible! You know, to make up for Yuki’s share!”

“In other words… to make it cold, huh…?” Iori thought aloud. “Alright! I’ll keep that in mind!”

“Ahaha! Already, that cracks me up!” Momo heaves hearty laughter.

“Tonight’s topic is one that matches our guest’s beloved husband-wife manzai act!” Mitsuki begins reading from the script. He sniggers as he reads out the topic’s name. “‘Your current crush and romance’! It’s a topic that it seems Iori and Momo-san can both do well in, doesn’t it?!”

“Well, you see, the truth is recently I’ve found a new hobby that makes me feel like I’m cheating on Yuki…” Momo pauses and turns suddenly to peer at Iori with bulging eyes. “EH?! Iori has a love life?!”

“Of course I do! What’s with that reaction?!” Iori snaps without thinking, too bewildered by the sudden rise in the other’s tone to do anything about the way he matched the other’s intensity. “Ah…” He lifts the back of a wrist to his mouth at once, realizing what sort of trap he’d just stepped in. The youngster eyes the two snickering seniors through narrowing navy blues. “Don’t tell me… You two…”

“The plan is a success, yeah, Mitsuki?!” Momo lifts a hand for the other.

“You sure had my brother good!” Mitsuki smacks the other’s hand in a high-five that enters the mic.

“When did you two begin to get along so well without me noticing? We’ve only just met for the first time today!” Iori points out, startled.

“Well…” Mitsuki grins slyly, eyeing his apparently new partner. (Should Iori be feeling left out?)

“…There’s a thing known as love at first sight!” Momo winks at him again.

“…Whatever happened to your once-in-every-three-years love crisis with Yuki-san?” Iori points out, attempting without success to turn the conversation another way. “You were just bemoaning the topic of a third party in your relationship not even five minutes ago.” _And you just admitted to it_. He adds internally.

“That’s that! And this is this! Even for two people in a relationship, I can admire others without touching, right?” Momo laughs freely.

“You’re touching me right now though.” Mitsuki glares contemptuously at the hand patting down his head. “And stop patting me on the head! I’ll shrink at this rate, wouldn’t I?!”

“Mitsuki will look _lovely_ even if you shrink, so that’s fine!” Momo chortles, but retracts his hand.

Iori calmly hopes the heavens would answer his internal cries for help and have the other half of Re:Vale contact them this moment.

“And so? Don’t think you’ve escaped the topic, Iori.”

The gods have abandoned him.

Another sly grin crawls its way up to his older brother’s face. Iori sometimes ponder upon the genuineness of their blood relation. How can such a monster with such a cute face exist and still be related to him?

“I know for a fact that you’ve been having a crush on someone for a while! These days, you keep stopping by that café even though you don’t even like coffee, don’t you? What kind of girl is she like?”

“H-Him, Nii-san.” Iori coughs into the back of his hand and regrets it a moment later. This is possibly the worst way of coming out ever. And they’re probably going to gain even more haters. Him, specifically.

Iori hangs his head miserably.

“Considering the expiration date on our shelf lives, must I really tell you?” He asks quietly.

“Iori, the love of my life, the apple of my eye, the Romeo to my Juliet,” Iori blanches at such comparison. It doesn’t help in the slightest, how Mitsuki says that all with that lidded eye look of his that makes him seem a cross between being serious or just a really bad attempt at looking seductive. “It’s precisely because I adore my younger brother so much, that’s why I’ve got to veto your suitors before your shelf life expire, don’t I?!” Mitsuki huffs crossly, leaning back in his seat. “You don’t want to be stuck to an old dusty apartment with your big brother forever! Heck, _I_ don’t even want to be stuck with you forever!”

“Eh… You don’t?!” Iori’s eyes widen in a mix of hurt and shock. “But I thought for sure that you’d want someone to do the toilet washing duties for you! That’s why I moved in with you when I entered college!”

“Urgh…! This is bad!” Momo murmurs off to the side. “I’m getting the urge to marry Iori now!”

“And I know you want someone to keep making breakfast in bed for you whenever you push yourself to the limits studying! But I’m still moving out someday with a proper wife!” Mitsuki scolds.

“No… Or is it Mitsuki that I want to marry?!” Momo utters with wide eyes, head swivelling between the two of them, split. “Being spared of toilet washing duties or having breakfast in bed… this is an unexpected mid-life crisis…!”

“The point, anyways, is not about whether we’d stay together forever or not. After all, we’ll always be brothers connected by blood, won’t we?!” Mitsuki frowns as he peers at him. “So while Momo-san and I are here, let’s go all out in helping you win your man! Although I still have to veto him and his certificate before that.” He adds crossly.

“Nii-san…” Iori peers at him with moved eyes before turning to stare at Momo.

“…Eh?! It can’t be… Me?!” Momo jumps, hands cradling each other to his chest.

“There’s no way that can be it, can it?” Iori deadpans icily.

“Cold! That’s super cold! Like Mount Everest levels of cold, Iori! Why is Momo-chan here to be dissed?!” Momo cries, super hurt.

“Uwah… If that was aimed at me, without a doubt, my heart would be crushed in an instant.” Mitsuki sweat drops as he turns to eye his younger brother. “Whoever this is that managed to catch Iori’s eye… It must be someone of pretty high standards.”

Loudly, so it’s obvious he’s speaking to Iori rather than the audience, Mitsuki asks.

“So, what is this person like?”

-

 _“So, what is this person like?”_ A warm but energetic voice sounded out.

Nanase Riku blinks as he wipes a cup with a cloth-covered hand, curiously lifting his head to the single person seated in the warmth of the café. Outside, the snow drifts down silently.

“Tenn-Nii, what are you listening to?” Riku would very much like to nose his way in and enthusiastically poke his head over Tenn’s shoulders as usual, but as things have it, he has to put all his focus on the cups when he’s wiping them. (Lest he breaks them. Again.)

“It’s nothing much that you’ve got to pay attention to, Riku.” Tenn sighs, inclining his head forward. Stray strands of pink tumble over the back of his ears. “It’s just the radio show of one of my colleagues that’s been taken over by someone else recently. Hanamaki-san apparently went back to the countryside for the comfort of home whilst she is pregnant.”

“Oh, is that so…” Riku cracks a wry smile, putting up another cup in the shelf. “I don’t really know much about idols and entertainers, but that seems like a pity.”

“It’s not necessarily so. The pair who is taking over her temporarily seem to be extraordinarily talented.” The look in Tenn’s eyes gets bad again. Riku sweat drops as he finishes wiping his counter. “Now, if only they could get themselves in shape.”

 _“The person who I like is… terribly clumsy.”_ Another voice speaks out, soft, but thoughtful in a way that makes it seems tender.

“…Eh?” Riku blinks, surprised. That voice just now… It sounds like one of his new customers lately?

_“He’s awful at customer service. Not to mention, he spends too much time talking to each individual customer, counselling them on their problems needlessly. On top of that, he even gives out free drinks on a near daily basis.”_

Urgh! It sounds just like how that guy would rant at him! But it can’t be, can it?

_“But even then… That person is incredibly kind at heart. Of course, he’ll act like a spoiled child sometimes, but… Each time I see him interacting with his customers, I just can’t help but find him lovable. Without realizing, I end up spoiling him endlessly.”_

Yup. Definitely not him. It’s not that one particularly disagreeable customer at all. That nameless one has never shown him one bit of kindness to begin with.

 _“Such a feeling… It can’t be love, can it?”_ That same voice questions.

It sounds so similar to that guy, yet the problem definitely can’t be his. Riku could burst out laughing this instance at how uncertain and…dare he say, _cute_ … he sounds like this.

That settles it! Riku’s definitely tuning in to this channel every time just to imagine that disagreeable customer talking about all these problems! Sure, it can’t be him in reality, but can you really blame Riku for wanting to de-stress after being scolded by that impudent teen?

Tenn heaves a soft, quiet sigh, extracting his phone to dial up a number.

“Tenn-Nii?” Riku turns inquisitive eyes to his brother.

“I’m going to ring them up this instance.” Tenn turns the phone on speaker. “Such oblivion… It’s unseeming for the next one to succeed Hanamaki Sumire.”

_“Ah! There’s a line!”_

-

“Good evening! This is Hanamaki Sumire’s radio live! How’s this hour of love finding you?” Momo answers the call enthusiastically.

 _“Good evening, Momo-san. This is Trigger’s Kujou Tenn. May I deliver the punchline?”_ He quips the first radio live session they had. Iori flinched. Does that mean he’s going to have direct contact with Kujou, who scolded them last time?

“Haha! Don’t be so harsh on him, Tenn!” Momo chuckles lightly, waving a hand flippantly. “Iori’s still young after all!”

 _“…Understood.”_ There’s a moment of silence as Tenn takes a breath. Iori prepares himself for the impact. _“Izumi Iori.”_

“…Why do I feel like a soldier being called at boot camp?” Iori quietly wonders.

 _“You’re a complete, utter blockhead.”_ And why does he get the feeling that Kujou truthfully has a few harsher, meaner words waiting to be unleashed? _“You’re deeply and hopelessly in love, you fool.”_ But nevertheless, it doesn’t lighten the blow. The allocation of a name for his brewing feelings till now gives rise to an affection deep within that shouldn’t be so comforting.

“I’m… in love?” Iori utters, feeling lost. “Then, what should I do now?”

There’s a laugh over the connection, one that comes free and airy in the background despite Kujou’s voice being preoccupied with indiscernible, exasperated murmurs.

 _“Such a thing… Honestly, he’s such an idiot, isn’t he, Tenn-Nii? He should just chase down his crush with all his might!”_ That distant voice says. It takes five lasting seconds for Iori to put where he’s heard that voice before beyond the buzz of the connection. In the meantime, Kujou replies with an exasperated answer.

 _“Sometimes, it’s best not to be so blunt, Riku.”_ Kujou answers gently. _“Oh, look. Our ride is here. We’re hanging up, Iori-kun. Good luck with your crush.”_

“Wait—” _Ka-Cha._

There’s a long beep following that.

“I wonder if Tenn’s with his family.” Momo breaks the silence.

“Yeah. That’s a hell of a bomb he just dropped on us.” Mitsuki joins in with an awkward chuckle.

Kujou Tenn. Tenn-Nii. Riku. That same name tag on the barista’s uniform. That _voice._

“…You’ve got no idea how right you are, Nii-san.” Iori replies gravely. It seems like his troubles will only start here.

**Author's Note:**

> Please kudos if you're interested in this story idea.  
> I may or may not write more.


End file.
